The AMD RX 9060 XT may not be the GPU that can outperform Nvidia as we initially believed.

      Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

      A recent leak suggests that AMD’s RX 9060 XT could be making the same errors as the RX 7600 XT, potentially missing an opportunity to compete effectively with Nvidia. Although the RX 9060 XT might not match up to the top graphics cards, it is expected to be a mainstream option, which is positive for gamers. However, as is often the case, there could be issues with VRAM.

      According to a listing with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Acer has registered several new trademarks for its upcoming graphics cards. This includes the Acer Predator Bifrost RX 9060 XT OC in two different versions: one featuring 8GB of VRAM and another with 16GB.

      Having options is beneficial, but similar to the RX 7600 XT from the previous generation, AMD appears to have followed Nvidia’s lead by equipping both models with a narrow 128-bit memory bus. This limits their bandwidth, making the 16GB option more expensive yet not significantly better in performance. The mention of Nvidia is relevant because they initially implemented this with the RTX 4060 Ti, which yielded comparable results; the RTX 4060 Ti only slightly outperformed the RTX 3060 Ti in some tests. The additional cost and VRAM offered little benefit given the restricted bandwidth.

      Duplicating the same memory setup from the last generation may not bode well for AMD. Considering how the RX 7600 XT performed below expectations, the RX 9060 XT might end up in a similar situation. Nvidia’s forthcoming RTX 5060 will likely have an advantage due to its superior bandwidth, thanks to the use of GDDR7 memory running at 28Gbps, compared to AMD’s current reliance on GDDR6 limited to 20Gbps.

      Rumors suggest an RX 9060 XT variant with 12GB of VRAM. This would represent a step forward, potentially offering versions with both 12GB and 16GB, and a 192-bit bus. Much will depend on overall bandwidth, and it’s too soon to predict where this will land. Leakers indicate that the RX 9060 XT will compete with Nvidia’s RTX 4060 Ti, which places it at a disadvantage—having additional VRAM could certainly help in this regard.

      It’s essential to remember that EEC listings do not guarantee that these GPUs will necessarily be released. We have seen some unexpected listings in the past, like an RTX 5090 Titan, many of which never hit the market. However, it’s reasonable to anticipate that the RX 9060 XT will be available in two configurations, and if AMD maintains the 16GB and 8GB options with a 128-bit memory interface, history might repeat itself once benchmarks are available. Meanwhile, the RX 9070 XT is on the horizon.

      Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, concentrating on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has produced…

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